The 5 best Ski Resorts in China

Before I moved to Beijing, I never expected that I would spend some of my winter weekends on the ski slopes outside of the city. I guess people (including myself) don’t tend to associate China with snow sports (beyond the ice sculptures of Harbin perhaps), so I thought to list the 7 best Ski Resorts in China in 2009 where you can enjoy the snow this season.

Granted, these resorts are for the most part better suited to the amateur snow seeker, but nevertheless a cheap and relatively inexpensive excursion out of the city. Whether skiing, snowboarding, or hanging in the lodge is your thing, there are quite a few options for enjoying the winter in China:

Nanshan Ski Resort

Location: Miyun county, Beijing (about 80Km from downtown Beijing)

Description: 3000 pairs of skiing equipment for rental, 1318 meters of Toboggan Runs, air park, one bridge, and 5 jumping segments

Cost: Weekday RMB180, Weekend RMB280, Holiday RMB320

How to get there: Take Dongmi Zhuanxian Bus at Dongzhimen Bus Station, to Miyun Xidaqiao Station, RMB10/person. Then take a taxi to Nanshan (RMB10/car), about 10 minutes

Contact: 84286688 or 64450990

Wanlong Ski Resort

Location: Mount Honghualiang (2110.3m) in Chongli County, Zhangjiakou City, covers an area of 30sq km, 249 km away from Beijing

Description: New ski resort, Golden Dragon trail(1800m) is a red trail for intermediate skiers in the middle of the mountain. Silver Dragon trail (2000m) is a very challenging black trail, while the longest trail is Jade Dragon trail (2500m) and the shortest trail is Little Dragon trail(800m). There is also a blue trail for beginners.

Cost: Weekday RMB 390, Weekend RMB 430, Holiday RMB 470

How to get there: A night train leaving Beijing at 2:30 AM gets you to Zhangjiakou about 6 AM and a 180-200 RMB cab ride takes you to the slopes in time to catch the first lift when it opens

Contact: 65536830 or 65536831

Huaibei Ski Resort

Location: Located at the Jiugukou natural scenic spot, 70Km from Beijing, about one hour’s drive by car.

Description: The ski trails are more than 3,100 meters long in total, with a drop elevation of 238 meters. The ski trails are made up of two advanced trails & two intermediate trails, and another four beginner tracks. The cableway is 1,200 meters long.

How to get there: 70 kilometers from downtown Beijing (about 1 hour’s ride) in the Jiugukou (Nine Valleys Pass) Natural Scenic Area.

Contact: 69661177, hbski@hbski.com

Jundushan Ski Resort

Location: Located at the famous Xiaotangshan Spa in Changping, Beijing. It is the ski course nearest to the downtown area, a little over 30km away.

Description: Features a snow-covered area of 150,000 square meters and all-around service facilities with a total area of more than 6,000 square meters, making it one of the largest ski courses in Beijing. It boasts more than 4,000m of primary, intermediate, and advanced ski lanes on the hillside that are designed strictly in line with international standards.

Cost: Weekday RMB 150, Weekend RMB 200, Holiday RMB 240

How to get there: Take Bus No. 345 (branch), or No. 918 at Deshengmen, stop at Dongguan Traffic circle, then take small bus No. 12 until Jundu Ski Resort

Contact: 64443020, 80972023, or 80673378

Yinqixing Indoor Skiing

Location: Shanghai Yinqixing Indoor Skiing Site locates at 1835 Qixin Road , Minhang District

Description: It covers an area of 100,800 meters . The skiing slope is 380 meters long and 80 meters wide. The snow thickness reaches 50cm and the height of the building is 14 stories high.

Cost: Weekday RMB 138 (2 hours), Weekend RMB 158 (2 hours)

Contact: 64788666

Photo credit:

Geolocation, Local Noodles, CityWeekend, Shanghaied Weblog, Michwalks, Ionpsych, Flickr and Andres Vargas @Chinolombia